Meeting Annie

Lately, I realize I take a lot for granted: everyday things such as the warmth of a sunny day, the laughter of children and the first bloom of the forsythia indicating the birth of another spring. When I first met Annie, I was moving into the last car of the train and noticed she was the only one in the car. Strange for the car to be empty, I thought, I would have passed without a second notice except she spoke to me saying hello and asking if Harriman was next. She had a pleasant voice and was looking right at me, hard to ignore and just walk on. I told her it was and was about to walk on when she asked, “Don’t you love the smell of the snow?” Smiling, I answered that I had never really thought about it. Annie asked,“Why are your smiling? Is it a silly question?” She then put out her hand and said, “Hi, I’m Annie, What’s your name?” When I shook her hand and told her my name, she said “Nice to meet you, Tom. Have a seat.” So down I sat.

To best describe Annie is to picture a “librarian,” proper matching hat, dress and coat, articulate with a quirky smile. Next to her was a shopping bag full of books, with a loaf of bread sticking out, and I could see the wine was red. Turned out, she was up for the winter break to visit her folks in the country. She told me she would miss her students but was glad to get away. Living in the East Village, close to the school where she taught, she missed the smell of the snow. There it was again, this odd description of a sense experience I have never made the connection to.

We have been snowbound now for months in the Upper Delaware River Valley; the pines look beautiful covered in white, I listen to see if the plows are going by before rising in the dark morning, the sting of the cold on the car door has my fingers feeling numb. Yet I never noticed the smell of the snow. I am sure it is because my nostrils have been frozen for months, or maybe I have taken it for granted.

On Annie’s lap was a large book and I asked her what she was reading. “The New York Times Magazine,” she replied, I thought it odd to be so large a book. “We are running a bit early today,” she said. It was then I noticed the face of her watch was open, and she was tracing the dials with her fingers. “I get the magazine section of the Times in Braille from school, and this should keep me busy for a few days.” Then she added, “I could tell by your silence you thought it odd.” Oh no, not only could she smell snow, but she could read minds, too!

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Tom Caska works in Manhattan, New York City and writes a blog on print- and technology-related topics for his company blog “Utterly Orange.” He believes "Print is Alive!" Caska commutes daily from his home in Glen Spey, NY and is greeted at night by his Corgis Dexter and Toby.